Enlisted in 1965, Nguyễn Huy Hiệu fought in various battlefields during Vietnam War, especially the Battle of Quảng Trị where he was appointed commander of battalion at the age of 23.

Nguyễn Huy Hiệu began to hold the position of Deputy Minister of Defence in 1994.

[1] After serving in Laos, in February 1968 he began to fight in the Quảng Trị front where he was recognized for his skill in commanding[2] and was rapidly promoted to commander of battalion (Vietnamese: tiểu đoàn trưởng) in October 1970 at the age of 23.

[1] During the First Battle of Quảng Trị in May 1973, he was appointed commander of regiment (trung đoàn trưởng) of the 27th Infantry Regiment, 320th Division, he was also bestowed on the title Hero of the People's Armed Forces (Anh hùng Lực lượng vũ trang nhân dân).

[1] During Vietnam War, he was decorated with total five Liberation Distinguished Service Medals (Huân chương Chiến công Giải phóng), fourteen Brave Soldier Titles (Danh hiệu Dũng sĩ) and other awards.